The invention is generally related to the field of gases and packaging and using same. More specifically, the invention relates to increased stability, low concentration reactive gases, products including same, and methods of making same.
Moisture is known to react with so-called “acid gases”, such as hydrogen sulfide, carbonylsulfide, carbondisulfide and mercaptans, (mercaptans are also referred to as thiols) to form a complex compound. In addition, it is desirable to remove moisture from so-called “basic gases”, such as ammonia, amines, and amides.
A significant problem exists when producing standard reactive gas compositions, in other words, reactive gases having a known concentration of one or more reactive gases in a matrix or carrier fluid. For example, when utilizing so-called “acid gases”, such as hydrogen sulfide, carbonylsulfide, carbondisulfide, and mercaptans, (mercaptans are also referred to as thiols) the acid gas will readily react with moisture mixed with the acid gas in a container to form a complex compound and reduce the concentration of the acid gas within the container. Similarly, so-called “basic gases”, such as ammonia, amides, and amines, can degrade within a container due to moisture content, and/or other factors, resulting in a reduced concentration of the basic component. A source of reactive gas, and/or matrix gas, may contain a considerable amount of moisture. Therefore, the reduction or removal of moisture from the reactive gas is of primary importance if the stability of the reactive gas in the standard gas is to be maintained. Gas standards may require a long shelf life for the reactive gas, particularly when the standard reactive gas is not utilized immediately or shortly after production.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,255,445 and 5,480,677, describe processes for drying and passivating a metal surface to enhance the stability of gas mixtures containing one or more gaseous hydrides in low concentrations in contact therewith. The processes include purging gas in contact with the metal surface, with inert gas to remove the purged gas, exposing the metal surface to an amount of a gaseous passivating, or drying agent comprising an effective amount of a gaseous hydride of silicon, germanium, tin or lead, and for a time sufficient to passivate the metal surface, and purging the gaseous passivating agent using inert gas. Optionally, an oxidizing agent is applied after the third step to stabilize the adsorbed stabilizing agent. The patent also mentions prior known processes, such as saturation passivation, where the container is subjected to several cycles of evacuating and filling with a much higher concentration of the same gaseous hydride, prior to being filled with the low concentration hydride mixture of interest. The two patents do not mention or describe processes to passivate containers adapted to store sulfur-containing gases, nor do they mention passivation techniques in which a first passivating agent is applied to the surface, followed by contacting with a higher concentration of the reactive gas to be stored.
Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/157,467, filed May 29, 2002, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes the use of certain acid gas resistant molecular sieves to reduce or remove moisture from fluid compositions comprising a sulfur-containing compound. There is no disclosure or suggestion, however, for the passivation of containers adapted to contain the moisture-reduced compositions. Such containers may have moisture adhered to the internal surfaces, which can and does react with acid gases, reducing their stability and shelf-life.
Given the problem of moisture and/or other factors associated with maintaining concentrations of reactive gases (e.g., acid or basic gases) in containers, it would be advantageous if passivation methods could be provided which increase the shelf-life during the storage of these reactive gas compounds.